ABC’s new sitcom Schooled has a vibrant cast led by the gorgeous and talented AJ Michalka playing William Penn Academy music teacher, Lainey Lewis — as the character moves on from The Goldbergs.
The show is set in 1990-something, and it follows the hijinks of the faculty of William Penn Academy, most notably AJ Michalka’s well-intentioned but rough-around-the-edges character, a new music teacher and WP graduate.
Michalka is an L.A. resident and a singer/songwriter as well as a talented actress. She kicked off her acting career in television, where she starred in the Disney Channel film Cow Belles, The Guardian, Oliver Beene, and the original cable movie Super Sweet Sixteen: The Movie. Her other credits include Silicon Valley, Grace Unplugged, Expecting Amish, and Angels in Stardust which she also co-produced.
In 2013 she got her role as Lainey Lewis on The Goldbergs, becoming a series regular in May 2015.
The artistic genes run in her family as AJ has collaborated with her sister, Aly, in Weepah Way for Now, a 2015 LA Film Festival competition dramedy.
The sisters have also performed musically as pop rock duo Aly & AJ, with two hit albums under their belts at a very young age.
The uber talented duo were even nominated for an American Music Award, and in 2006 their holiday release, Acoustic Hearts of Winter, was one of the best-selling Christmas albums.
In 2007 their hit single, Potential Breakup Song, was one of Time Magazine’s Top 10 Songs of the Year and was RIAA-certified with sales of more than 1 million downloads.
The single’s music video has scored over 45 million views on YouTube. The multi-talented AJ plays guitar, piano and percussion, and AJ & Aly’s most recent EP, Ten Years, was released in November 2017.
AJ can be heard as the character of Catra in the upcoming Netflix/Dreamworks animated series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and she has contributed to the film soundtracks, The Game Plan, Herbie: Fully Loaded, Ice Princess, Bandslam and the TV series Hellcats.
Schooled sees failed musician Lainey return to her alma mater William Penn Academy as the new music teacher. She’s still young and can’t quite believe she’s now expected to be an authority figure!
Schooled airs Wednesday nights at 8.30/7.30c on ABC.